mlbAugust 9, 2017 11:40am EDTNovember 25, 2015 9:59am ESTPart of the fun of poring over baseball history comes from the nuggets you inevitably discover while strolling through the invaluable statistical funhouse that is Baseball-Reference.com.

It’s also interesting to see how the game has changed statistically over the years, sometimes over a relatively short period. For example, there are some single-season feats that just don’t happen anymore.

By “feats,” we don’t necessarily mean records or holy-grail milestones such as hitting .400, clubbing 73 homers or hitting in 56 straight games.

No, we’re talking about things that were once common in MLB but that haven’t happened in a long time and aren’t likely to happen again, or things that were just so impressively quirky that they just wouldn’t happen in the current incarnation of the national pastime.

With that in mind, consider these 10 single-season feats we’ll probably never see again.

20-game winner — and loser

What’s the deal?: In 1979, Hall of Famer Phil Niekro led the league in wins and losses. Knucksie finished the year 21-20 with a 3.39 ERA and 23 complete games over 342 innings. Niekro actually finished the season tied for the NL lead in wins. The other 21-game winner? His brother, Joe, who went 21-11 for the Astros.

Why it won’t happen again: It’s hard to imagine a modern starter would be consistently allowed to work deep enough into games to account for 41 decisions (Niekro had only three no-decisions in 1979). Also, it’s hard to imagine that a modern pitcher would be that good/lucky and bad/unlucky in one season. Strangely, 1979 was the third of four consecutive years in which Niekro led the NL in losses. The last pitcher to lose 20 or more in a season was the Tigers’ Mike Maroth, who lost 21 in 2003. His win total: 9.

100 steals with a .301 OBP

What’s the deal? Cardinals speedster Vince Coleman created havoc on the bases for National League opponents in the mid- to late ‘80s, recording three straight 100-steal seasons. The 107 bases he stole in 1986 are even more impressive when you consider he did it with an on-base percentage of just .301. That means when Coleman did get to first base, it was almost a guarantee that he’d make it to at least third — and possibly home — without much help from the rest of the lineup.

Why it won’t happen again: The stolen base, while still a prominent part of the game, continues to slide out of fashion. Nobody has reached 100 steals since Coleman stole 109 in 1987, and the most anyone has stolen in the past 25 years is 78 — accomplished by the Expos’ Marquis Grissom in 1992 and the Mets’ Jose Reyes in 2007. The most in the past five years? Juan Pierre’s 68 in 2010. Also, Coleman was essentially a one-tool player, and you don’t get those much anymore. The Reds’ Billy Hamilton could potentially match Coleman’s stolen base/OBP mark if he could actually maintain an OBP of .301 (career OBP of .298). Hamilton had an OBP of .321 in 2016 and stole 58 bases in 119 games.

On-base percentage aside, it's unlikely we'll see anyone steal 100 bases anytime soon. Other players with the speed to potentially steal that many are multi-tool players who can hit for power and aren't likely to hit enough singles or take enough walks to allow for multi-steal innings.

10 shutouts in a season

What’s the deal?: Double-digit shutouts from a single pitcher used to be something that happened once or twice a decade, but it's become one of those things that now would seem freakish to the point of being super-human. It hasn't happened since 1985, when Cardinals lefty John Tudor threw 10 shutouts, leading the league in that category on his way to a 21-8 season and a 1.93 ERA. A big reason for all the goose eggs: Tudor’s WHIP that year was 0.938, which also led the league. Despite his stellar season, Tudor finished second in the Cy Young voting to Dwight Gooden (24-4; 1.53 ERA; 268 strikeouts; eight shutouts).

Why it won’t happen again: No pitcher has thrown more than eight shutouts since 1985, and that last happened in 1989. Clayton Kershaw, widely considered the best pitcher in the game today, has never pitched more than three. Also, modern pitchers don't throw enough innings. Tudor threw 275 innings in 1985 and had 14 complete games, putting himself in position to secure a high number of shutouts.

300 innings pitched

What’s the deal?: The 300-inning threshold for starting pitchers was common through the 1970s. For example, the NL leader in innings pitched topped the 300 mark 25 times from 1950 through 1980. It happened 12 times in the American League during the same period. In fact, some pitchers finished closer to 400 innings than 300. Trivia: Wilbur Wood of the White Sox threw 376 2/3 innings in 1972 on his way to a 24-17 record. No one has matched that innings total in 43 years. The pitcher who came closest was … Wilbur Wood, with 359 1/3 innings the next year, when he went 24-20.

Why it won’t happen again: Pitch counts, innings limits and general weirdness over health concerns in modern pitching philosophy have made even a 200-inning season something to consider an accomplishment. No pitcher has tossed 300 innings since Steve Carlton did it for the Phillies in 1980. The pitcher to come closest since then was Bert Blyleven, who threw 293 2/3 innings for the Indians and Twins in 1985. Barring a major change in thinking, it’s highly unlikely anyone will touch the 300 milestone again.

Double-digit double-headers

What’s the deal?: The 1943 White Sox played 44 double-headers, setting an MLB record. FORTY-THREE. That number would be outlandish today, but this was when double-headers were at their peak, thanks in large part to the nation’s focus on World War II and the need for rationing resources. Thus, most double-headers in those days were scheduled rather than the result of rainouts. Though the frequency of double-headers lessened during the ensuing decades, teams routinely would play 10 or more in a season through the late ‘70s. For context, in 2015 all MLB teams combined for 29 double-headers.

Why it won’t happen again: The main reason: Money. Teams don’t want the revenue hit that comes with a scheduled double-header, which is why most twin bills these days are of the day-night variety and only scheduled after rainouts. Though some players have said they’d be open to more double-headers if it meant more time off during the season, the money thing is certain to keep teams from playing more two-a-days than are absolutely necessary.

30 complete games

What’s the deal?: The 30-complete-game mark hasn’t been what one would call common since the 1920s, but it still occurred sporadically or in spurts until the mid-‘70s, when it stopped completely. No pitcher has reached the milestone since Catfish Hunter recorded exactly 30 complete games in 1975. Compare that with 2015, when six pitchers tied for the league lead in complete games with … 4.

Why it won’t happen again: The steep declined in complete games is tied to the drastic scale-down in overall innings pitched. Pitchers just aren’t allowed to go that deep into games, whether because of health concerns or managers wanting to use specialty relievers to create more favorable matchups late in games. Since 1990, no pitcher has thrown more than 15 complete games in a season. Even that mark seems unreachable anytime soon.

Willie Hernandez’s golden 1984

What’s the deal?: Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez, a 10-year veteran at that point, came out of nowhere to win the AL Cy Young AND MVP awards. That in itself isn’t so unbelievable; it’s the way he did it that’s pretty bizarre. Though he was quite stingy with base runners (0.941 WHIP) and threw a lot of innings for a reliever (140 1/3), Hernandez didn’t lead the league in any coveted category, just in appearances (80) and games finished (68). Further, his 32 saves weren’t even close to leading the league and his 1.92 ERA didn’t lead the league either because he didn’t have enough innings to qualify. Not only that, his pitcher WAR was 4.8, which was sixth in the league.

However, his Win Probability Added was 8.6, which did lead the league by a wide margin. But advance statistics weren’t even discussed back then, let alone recognized by most baseball writers. Still, writers thought his season was worthy of the two most prestigious awards in baseball. And the voting wasn’t particularly close, either. Hernandez won the Cy Young with 63 percent of the vote, while capturing 78 percent of the MVP vote. He was also named Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.

Why it won’t happen again: Even with the growing prominence of advance statistics, which often show a clearer picture of a player’s value than traditional stats, it seems unlikely a relief pitcher who doesn’t lead the league in any big category would win both the Cy Young and MVP awards. The Cy Young, perhaps, but certainly not the MVP. Modern thinking for awards seems to dictate that a player has to either have a big name combined with an overall great year or, if not a big name, dominate the league in one or two coveted categories. Hernandez met neither criteria. When Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley won the AL Cy Young and MVP in 1992, he at least led the league in saves and was in the middle of a string of dominance that helped pave his way to Cooperstown.

Pitchers-as-MVPs is a topic that always generates debate. But even then, the conversation is usually about a starter. Relief-pitchers-as-MVPs is something very rarely considered, and something that hasn’t happened in 23 years.

Roger McDowell’s 1986

What’s the deal?: Mets pitcher Roger McDowell had a year in 1986 that most 21st century starters would take: He finished the season 14-9 with a 3.02 ERA — but as a reliever. Not only that, but the righty was one of two closers the Mets used that year and also scattered 22 saves among his 75 games and 128 innings — all of which came in relief.

Why it won’t happen again: There’s too much specialization in modern bullpens for a reliever to pitch enough innings to accumulate 23 decisions. Not to mention that it’s highly improbable that a 21st century team would have two pitchers to divide closing duties the way the 1986 Mets did. McDowell led the team with those 22 saves, while lefty Jesse Orosco finished with 21.

Giving up 50 homers

What’s the deal?: Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven had trouble keeping the ball in the park in 1986, when he gave up an MLB record 50 home runs en route to a 17-14 record and a 4.01 ERA. Not even during the homer-happy, ‘roided up ‘90s did anyone match that dinger total. In 2000, however, Jose Lima came very close when he allowed 48. Blyleven also came close in 1987, when he gave up 46.

Why it won’t happen again: First, it’s unlikely a pitcher will throw enough innings to surrender 50 homers. Blyleven pitched a league-leading 271 2/3 innings in 1986, a total that hasn’t been reached since 1999 (Randy Johnson). Second, if a modern starting pitcher is giving up homers at a rate that puts him on track for 50, he won’t be a starter for long.

Barry Bonds’ .609 OBP in 2004

What’s the deal?: Barry Bonds put up a .609 on-base percentage in 2004 to set the all-time mark. That’s just stupid. Bonds walked 232 times that season, including 120 intentional walks. Even if you took away all hits that year, his OBP still would’ve been .390. Stupid.

Why it won’t happen again: Well, how can we put this? This is not likely to happen again because nobody else is likely to put up the kinds of historic* numbers that would scare opposing teams into enough intentional walks to cause one’s OBP to swell to that degree.